need monitor buying tips

[azntiger0586]

what is there to look for in buying a monitor?

i look at the specs and sometime have no idea what they mean.

i think the "mm Dot Pitch" seems to be important. is higher the better? lower the better?

what else is there to look for? many thanks.

 

[rachaelsdad]

I'll start off and others can add.
How much are you willing to spend?
First what are you going to use it for? If gaming then a 19 inch is the minimum.

The flatter the screen the better.
In Dot/Pitch the smaller the better.
If you want an LCD flat screen be prepared to spend a lot more that for a CRT especially if you want a low refresh rate that would compare with a CRT.

Sony and others may use a different number for their shadowmask scan but then their .24 is about equivalent to a Dot pitch of .26.

Anyway here is a start.

 

[stevennoland]

Good start indeed! Ditto on the first question. How much? Ditto on the size, go 19" minimum. If your an avid gamer, avoid LCD monitors. They seem to be the rage, but avoid the hype. NEC makes really good flat screen monitors ( I have 4 of them, 3 FE950+ and 1 FE2111SB). As far as dot pitch, go with .25mm or smaller. If you want a really good deal, check out the monitors on Ebay. That is where I got 3 of mine. One of the FE950+ I got for $80.00 ! Shipping is where they get you. It cost me $60.00 in shipping for my 22" NEC (the sucker does wheigh 90 pounds). Be wary of sellers with low feedback ratings or negative feedback. I have had good luck, you might too. Many people are getting rid of their CRT monitors in favor of space saving LCD's. The deals are there. Good luck.

 

[yhelothar]

This article is the best article I found so far for shopping monitors. It tells you EVERYTHING you need to know to know what monitor is right for you. Highly recommend you to read it.